COMMENT | Is Bersih for the people or a Harapan front?

COMMENT | It is gratifying to see that three years after the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, Bersih has roused again and is urging Malaysians not to hesitate to take to the streets again, to “fight the system” and to “display their dissatisfaction”.

Is it coincidental that Pakatan Harapan is once again in the opposition? The message to "struggle on" is certainly what we want to hear since we are still living under an unjust, undemocratic, and oppressive state but first, the Bersih leadership must clear up some inconvenient truths, namely:

1. Why was Bersih so compliant with the Harapan federal government between 2018 and 2020? How was it that so many Bersih leaders were co-opted into the Harapan government which morphed into BN 2.0?

2. Were there no issues that they were dissatisfied with during Harapan's rule?

3. Is it not time to put forward concrete demands if we are concerned about real reforms in Malaysian society instead of just “free and fair elections”?

This is the time for reform-minded Malaysians to...